Another Possibilty
by Zero-Nightmare
Summary: An AU story. Let's take a look at a different road for Zero and Iris. Begins in MMX4


Disclaimer: This author doesn't own the Megaman X saga or any of its characters. They belong to Capcom. I'll only borrow them for my story.

A/N: This is my very first Megaman fanfic. I had the idea in my head for quite a time since I played again the Megaman X, X4, X5 and X6 games before my PS1 busted again. We begin in the Megaman X4 game, a bit before the Final Weapon. This will be an AU fic after his point

_This _is for thoughts

_**This **_is for intercom or transmissions

**Another Possibility

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_Chapter __0 (Prologue) – Death and Rebirth_

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**Maverick Hunters HQ**

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Zero had just returned from his fated, but nonetheless, cruel battle against Colonel. He had defeated him, but at the cost of Colonel's life. What was he supposed to say to Iris? He never wanted it to end this way, but it had had ended like this nevertheless.

He almost arrived to the point of the HQ where Iris should be, when a blaring alarm sounded, somehow annoying Zero "_Damn, I hate when that happens…_"

"_**Alert, alert" **_the intercom said "_**An enormous weapon has been detected in the planet's orbit!**_"

"What the…" Zero said and rushed to the Communications rooms to see if Iris was in there, only to find out that she wasn't

"Iris, where are you Iris!" Zero yelled, finding out the worst possible scenario "She left with them? No!"

"_**All Maverick Hunters scramble!**_" The intercom blared again, as Zero almost snarled, only to add in a whisper "Don't do this to me, Iris…"

With this said, Zero dashed to the teleportation room

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**Teleportation Room**

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"Commander Zero!" One of the techies said

"Are the coordinates ready?" Zero asked

"Indeed, commander" A female reploid said "Coordinates ready for the Final Weapon"

"Final Weapon?" Zero asked

"That's the designation given to it, commander" She responded

"_A fitting name…_" Zero thought, looking at the size of the weapon in the screens and headed to the teleporter, but stopped when he had a foot in there

"Where's X?" Zero asked, looking back at the techies

"Commander X is taking care of a Maverick attack now" The first techie said "He'll arrive shortly after you"

"Okay then" Zero said coldly "Send me there"

When he ended, he placed himself in the teleporter and instantly was beamed to the Final Weapon

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Final Weapon – Locked Room

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Inside this room was a female Reploid, she looked like she was 16 years old, long and silky brown hair flowing down her back, curled at the end and tied in the middle by a blue and yellow band, a pink beret on her head, a pink and blue dress, white gloves and stockings and pink boots. This Reploid was Iris Thorne, sister of the late Colonel

She sat in a corner crying her heart out, not only because her dear brother had been killed, but also because of the one who had done it. Zero. The one she loved

"_Why Zero_" Iris thought among tears _"Why did you have to kill my brother?_"

She then got up and went to the center of the room, picking up a pulsating, purple orb, cradling it in her arms.

"_I wish we never had to come to this…my dear Zero…_" She thought to herself and then waited for him

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**Final Weapon - ****Beginning**

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Zero arrived to what seemed to be the docking bay. Suddenly a laser beam zoomed towards him, evading it for a few inches

"Just my luck" Zero said as he dashed towards his enemy to slash it with his Z-Saber "I just arrived and I get attacked"

"_**Intruder alert!**_" A voice boomed over "_**Intruder alert!**_"

"_I have no time for this…_" Zero thought and launched himself forward against his enemies

After several minutes, all the enemies lay in the floor, nothing more than scrap metal. Seeing a door in the distance, he went and opened it, only to find what he actually didn't expect to…

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**Final Weapon – ****Iris' Room**

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"I…Iris" Zero said looking at his beloved

"So, Zero…" Iris said, not taking her eyes off the floor "…you fought with my brother…"

"I didn't want to, Iris…" Zero said, averting his gaze, so he didn't look at her "I'm sorry"

"Then it's over…everything…" Iris said as she lifted the orb above her head

"No, Iris, stop!" Zero could only stare, frozen in shock at what was happening

Iris became surrounded by purple lightning which soon became a winged-type ride armor, with a laser beam. After the armor finishing materializing, Iris muttered something that made Zero's heart wrench in pain

"_**Forgive me, Zero…"**_ After this, she readied herself to attack

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**Battle Scene**

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Iris started to get closer to Zero to attack and he couldn't even move a muscle

"Iris, please…don't do this…I don't want to fight you…" Zero tried to reason with her, because he really didn't wish to fight with her, even as she charged the beam

But unfortunately, this had the opposite effect Zero expected, as Iris seethed with rage

"_**Like how you didn't want to fight with my brother before you killed him?**_" Iris angrily yelled through the armor's com system and fired the beam, taking a chunk of the wall with it

"Iris, stop!" Zero yelled as he dodged a swipe from the armor's claw "I don't want to hurt you!"

"_**LIAR!**_" Iris shouted, still seeing red "_**YOU ALREADY DID!**_"

Zero kept dodging Iris' strikes and then sighed in resignation

"I'm gonna hate to do this…" Zero mumbled as he readied his Z-Saber "But I need you to calm down, even if I have to be the one who does it!"

This said, Zero rushed and slashed at the armor, not causing even a scratch, but for several aerial mines to appear

"What the…" It was the only thing Zero could say as some of the mines exploded in contact with him, sending the Red Hunter tumbling several feet away

Zero was shocked. What the hell did just happen? While dodging some of Iris' blows and some of the mines that still were there, he realized what was going on. He had heard about such armor before, but had never faced one. From what he took note of, it seemed that the only way to defeat the armor was to release its energy core; but the only way to do so was to score enough hits in the armor to release it, but that would mean to release also more mines; he'd need to be careful about that. Finally, after planning his strategy, he launched himself towards Iris, and after several swipes to the armor and others to take care of the mines, he was able to release the core

"There it goes!" Zero yelled as he made a swipe at the core, which actually made the armor short-circuit just a bit, much to Zero's disappointment _"I guess I'll have to hit it a few more times"_

He had to dodge again since Iris swiped at him again and then began to charge the beam once again, which also began to charge the core and fired a cross-shaped beam that he narrowly evaded and kept striking and running several more times until…

Finally, after a long time, he gave one last swipe to the core, which began to glow and crack until it exploded along with the armor. The force of the blow sent Zero far away to the other side of the room. As he groaned while opening his eyes, he noticed a figure lying among the debris…Iris. As soon as he realized this, he rushed to her

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**After ****Battle Scene**

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Iris opened her eyes as she heard faint footsteps coming towards her and recognized the one who had come

"Iris!" Zero exclaimed when he got by her side

"Zero…" Iris groaned. She'd recognize him anywhere, heck, she had tried to kill him a few moments ago, but now that didn't matter anymore

"Hang in there, Iris!" Zero said to her, afraid for the first time in his life or at least, what he could remember of it

"Was…was it true?" Iris asked "Was it true… that you didn't want to kill my brother…that you didn't want to hurt me?"

"Yes…yes, it was" Zero felt his heart being torn apart slowly seeing Iris like that "Also your brother asked me to tell you something"

Iris turned her head to him, intrigued of what her brother had asked Zero to tell her while he remembered what it was

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**Flashback (****A few moments before Colonel's demise)**

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Colonel raised his sword in front of Zero in what would be the final strike for any of them and spoke to him.

"This seems to be the end, Zero" Colonel spoke in a gravely voice "I hope that in death you understand why we are doing this."

"I know your reasons and I'll ask you one last time…" Zero looked at Colonel's eyes and asked "Can you stop this now? If not for your sake, then for your sister's! I don't want her to suffer! Plus I respect you as a warrior and I don't want to kill you."

Colonel seemed to ponder this for a moment and responded

"Sorry Zero, but I won't stop" Zero lowered his head in resignation, he had again tried to reason with him, but failed "And if you really respect me as a warrior, you will grant me this final battle and whatever the result is, Repliforce shall rise in the vastness of space!"

A few moments passed and Zero nodded which Colonel acknowledged and then both rushed at each other.

Time seemed to slow down as the two of them got closer until the sound of a saber cutting through metal was heard and both ended at the opposite side of where they were before. After a dreadful silence, Colonel dropped his saber and fell to one knee, clutching a huge wound on his chest that dripped with what Reploids had for blood and was short-circuiting, meaning only one thing, he was going to die. Knowing this, he needed to do something before that…

"Zero…I…need to ask you to do something for me….before I leave this world" Colonel said in a rasping voice and Zero, even with a dark look in his face, nodded for him to continue.

"Please…tell my sister to live and be strong…UGGH!" Colonel stopped due a jolt of pain. "…that my only regret is that I won't be there for her, so Zero, please take care of her…and that her brother had a worthy death…"

Colonel then screamed in pain as several explosions occurred in al his body which finally obliterated him. As Zero mourned silently the loss of Iris' brother, he promised he'd do whatever he could so Iris would be safe…

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**End of Flashback**

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"_Keep her safe? I can't even accomplish that…_" Zero thought in self-hatred, a wet dripping sound along with whimpers, woke him from his reverie.

Iris' eyes were brimming with tears, which flowed down as she cried her heart out.

"Brother…forgive me…I wasn't strong enough and gave up hope..." Iris' tears didn't stop and then looked at Zero "My dear Zero…please forgive me for my…"

She paused as she coughed hoarsely and a bit of blood fluid came out, Zero rushed and cradled her broken form gently

"There's nothing to forgive you, it wasn't your fault" Zero felt more parts of his heart being ripped apart slow and painfully

"I…I wanted to live...no matter where…as long as it was with you…my love…" Iris strained a smile and raised her hand to Zero, which he clasped with both of his hands

"Iris!" Zero called as Iris' head slumped down in an endless dream "Iris! Iris!"

Zero tried to shake her awake, but to no avail

"Iris….Iris…!" Zero yelled at the top of his lungs while cradling Iris' body, bridal style "NO, THIS ISN'T HAPPENING! THERE'S NO REASON FOR ME TO GO ON! WHAT…WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOR!"

Zero fell to his knees and after placing Iris' body gently in the ground, he started to slash and destroy the room aimlessly. Is in this moment when some appeared…

"What the…!" X called as he saw the destruction and zero on his knees taking sharp breaths at someone's side, which he identified as Iris once he got close enough. "Zero, what happened?"

When Zero lifted his face to look at X, the blue Reploid gasped when he saw his eyes, instead of their normal blue color, they now looked icy and his face contorted in hatred, but X surmised it was not directed at him, instead at himself.

"I killed her, X…" Zero looked at Iris and then cried out "I loved her and how I show it? I KILLED HER! I'M A MONSTER!"

"Zero, calm down!" X tried to calm down his friend, but Zero was too lost in his self-anger too notice and having no other option, X punched him in the face, HARD; sending him tumbling to the floor. As Zero got up and looked at X, he said:

"What was that for?" Zero roared

"Put yourself together!" X yelled uncharacteristically "And before you say anything, I know you truly loved her and even if I can't say I understand your pain; I also feel devastated for your loss!"

Zero stopped in his tracks and looked at the blue bot in amazement; he was more of a pacifist.

"Lashing out like this will bring her back? Do you really think this is the way to honor her! " X kept talking "Please Zero, as your friend, I ask you, let's finish this, for her and for everyone."

Zero raised his face and a steely look was on it.

"Very well, but let me do something first…" Zero picked up his saber and holstered it back; he picked Iris and said in a whisper. "I beg for your forgiveness, I wish things had gone a different way…"

After he said this, he placed his lips over hers in a last kiss, but as he and X failed to notice, a purple spark flowed from him into her. When the kiss ended, Zero gently placed her back in the ground and crossed her arms over her body.

"I'll come back for you; I promise and intend to keep it." Zero turned to X and claimed emotionlessly. "Let's finish this."

Both Maverick hunters left the room to face whatever challenges they'd face to bring a closure to this.

A time after they left, faint sound was heard in the hollowness of the room, something like a beating, which began to grow louder. Suddenly, Iris' eyes snapped open, but they weren't the bright green they were before; they were an eerie purple color and then she released an unearthly wail…

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N: **So here it ends the first chapter of my first Megaman fic. I have always loved the IrisxZero couple, so I decide to make a fic for them. Iris has revived, but how? If you know, I beg, please don't tell and for those who don't, you'll learn why in the next chapter. Zero is in for a big surprise. Please leave your comments, feedback oe what you wish (except flames, please) I'll appreciate it. See you next chapter!


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